The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-09-30

:, baby jib, and the two skinned along
;, between the streets of the big city Of
a steam and sail boats gathered to sec
e them off. They both tackled to and
S fro, making short reaches until 1890
. the blue peter came down and the
triangular flag meaning 'Go' went
up TO the Electra's masthead. The
signal gun to start was fred at the
same time. The Volunteer was to
windward. There was pandemonium
for several seconds when they got off.
The Thistle crossed the line at 49,
1906 on the port tack, with the Vol.
unteer 100 yards to windward and
about as much behind. The Volun-
tcer crossed the line at II "a 581.
The Thistle not ouly had the nearer
position when the order to start was
given but she also went through the
water the faster. So she got over
the line one minute fifty-two sec:
onds ahead.
THE RACE.
The eight mile. hour wind was
then from south southwest, and the
yachts had to sail close on the wind
for the first mark, buoy 10, on the
southwest spit, which bore south by
west 81 miles away. The yachts
went over on the port tack, and at
once the Volunteer began to over
haul the Thistle. The first tack was
toward Clifton. Staten Island, and on
that tack of fifteen minutes or less
the Volunteer showed superiority
over the Thistle in weather that had
been written down as the foreigners
best that left no doubt of the result
The Volunteer went by the Thistle
as though the latter was anchored,
and she stayed in front to the end.
The Thistle was more than a little
bothered by the excursion boats on
the first tack. The steamers cross.
ed her bows and gave her much
swash, but after the steamers hung
to the Volunteer, the leader, and
throughout the rest of the day she
suffered three times as much as the
Thistle did from the way they kick
ed up the water and shut off the wind.
| PROCESSION.
1t was no longer race, it was a
procession. The wind varied in 10.
cality and strength 1t shifted be-
tween southeast and southwest, and
SOM etimes one boat had it when the
other did not. But the average made
things pretty nearly even. And the
result was most decisive victory
for the American sloop Beating,
stretching and running with free
sheets, the Volunteer outsailed the
Thistle. On the run home she lost
ground, largely on account of the
way the accompanying craft blank
eted her. The point, buoy 10 was
reached on beat. Buoy 81 was fetch.
ed on stretch, as was the Sandy Hook
lightship, the outer mark. From the
lightship back to buoy 10 was beam
wind, and from there home, to buoy
Is, off Fort Wadsworth, it was clean
run before the wind, with spinakers
set. Total distance, SO statute miles.
Everywhere except on the run with
spinakers, where the excursion boats
did so much to keep the wind from her
the Volunteer outsailed her antagon-
ist.
AFTER THE RACE.
After the race Mr.. James Bell, prin-
cipal owner of the Thistle, said he was
not at all satisfied with the'result. The
| Thistle, he declared. had never moved
so slowly through the water. He was
of the opinion that there was some
thing wrong with the cutters bottom
and she would be hauled out OF the
water tomorrow with a view toward
finding out what it was He did not
consider that a race had been sailed for
that reason, and because the wind was
so shifting. The Volunteer often had
the advantage of a breeze that the
Thistle did not feel. Besides, the ex-
cursion boats swashed the Thistle TO a
damaging extent. Captain Barr, of the
Thistle, held the same views. He said
that some of the crew had been noti-
fed anonymously that the cutters
bottom had been doctored and the
truth would be ascertained before
Thursday. the day of the next race.
Capt. Barr said he had sailed the This
tie every time she had been out, and he
had never known her to move 40 slow.
ly on the wind. Gen. Payne and Mr..
Edward Burgess, of the Volunteer
took the victory quietly, but,very hap
PLY. Capt. Half said that the reason
the Thistle sailed go much faster be-
fore the START was that the Volunteer
did not have her centreboard down, on
account of shallow water inside of
buoy Is.